Magic moments: Greenwich exhibition captures beauty of open-air art

Christina Hennessy

Published 4:39 pm, Thursday, July 25, 2013

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Stamford artist Karen Schmitz's "Spring Flow," an oil on linen, is one of nearly two dozen paintings on display at The Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. She is one of the artists in the show "En Plein Air: Eight Artists Interpret the Landscape in the Open Air." It runs through Aug. 5, 2013. less

Stamford artist Karen Schmitz's "Spring Flow," an oil on linen, is one of nearly two dozen paintings on display at The Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. She is one of the artists in the ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Brooklyn, N.Y. artist Emilie Lee's "Red Hook Sunset," an oil on canvas, is one of many en plein air scenes that grace the walls of The Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, Conn. "En Plein Air: Eight Artists Interpret the Landscape in the Open Air," will run through Aug. 5, 2013. The gallery is located at 5 Suburban Ave. For more information, visit thedrawingroomartgallery.com. less

Brooklyn, N.Y. artist Emilie Lee's "Red Hook Sunset," an oil on canvas, is one of many en plein air scenes that grace the walls of The Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, Conn. "En Plein ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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"Under the Weeping Willow," an oil on panel by Haddon Township, N.J.-based artist Charles Newman, is among the images in a group show at the Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich that focuses on en plein air scenes. The show runs through Aug. 5, 2013. less

"Under the Weeping Willow," an oil on panel by Haddon Township, N.J.-based artist Charles Newman, is among the images in a group show at the Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich that focuses ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Magic moments: Greenwich exhibition captures beauty of open-air art

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For Stamford artist Karen Schmitz, art is something that can draw people in -- it can even inspire a lifelong passion.

As a child, she recalled gazing intently at a painting above her grandmother's mantle during the many visits to her house. Later, she learned it was a painting by landscape artist Emile A. Gruppe.

"This was the painting that as a child always plucked at my heartstrings and made me think I was going to be an artist," she said.

Schmitz began early, completing her first oil painting in grade school. Growing up, she lived many places, including Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, but art remained a constant. By the time she was in high school, she was filling sketchbooks with scenes and studies. She went on to study art and psychology at California State College in Los Angeles before starting an interior design business in her early 20s on the East Coast.

"The landscape here captured my soul," she said. "I went from contemporary abstracts to landscapes."

Forty years later, Schmitz said that urge to create has yet to abate. One can look for her at dawn or just before dusk, when her eyes see the most interesting colors in the shadows and in the skies above -- a phenomenon she refers to as "nature's fireworks."

A former Greenwich resident, Schmitz is one of the artists featured in the exhibition, En Plein Air: Eight Artists Interpret the Landscape in Open Air. The show runs through Monday, Aug. 5, at the Drawing Room Gallery in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich.

Dressed in orange capris and a white blouse with orange polka dots, Schmitz looked cool and crisp even on a day when the temperature outside was more than 100 degrees. It was a good look for someone so smitten with color.

"Composition is important, but color is what really moves me," she said. "For me, it is always a fight to make the colors realistic."

Finding the right blend of hues to reflect a particular scene can be a challenge, Schmitz said, one of many artists face by working outdoors and on location. From the mundane (pesky flies), to the esoteric (the effect of time on the dynamics of light and color), the artists have to adjust to the constraints.

"Artists who paint outdoors have time limitations. They have to move quickly, they have to be spontaneous and they have to be decisive," said exhibition coordinator, curator and Karen Schmitz's daughter, Cameron. "You need to be an artist who has a certain kind of confidence ... one who is not overly controlling of the image and embraces that challenge to be fluid."

Such an instinctual approach often imbues the work with a freshness and spontaneity, said Cameron Schmitz, who grew up in Greenwich, but is now based in Massachusetts.

"There is a freshness to it," said Karen Schmitz of the open-air style. "In the studio, you can overwork a painting to death."

The show features the work of painters from around the country. Lorraine Lewin is the other Connecticut artist, hailing from Guilford; Emilie Lee is based in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Peter Batchelder is from Amherst, N.H.; Tim Conte lives in Philadelphia; Charles Newman is from Haddon Township, N.J.; Brian Rego is based in Columbia, S.C., and Hannah Sessions lives in Leicester, Vt.

"I really feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share really exceptional artists," said Cameron Schmitz, who is an artist herself. "It's always interesting for me to see the viewers in the gallery and see them drawn to different pieces."